It took Hugh Jackman years to perfect the look of Wolverine. He was definitely in good shape when he started playing the role in the Marvel X-Men franchise, but he has gotten seriously ripped for the most recent films. So how did the Aussie actor do it?
Make sure you read this blog post to the very end because you’re about to discover:
- How To Get Superhero Lean With Hugh Jackman’s Exact Diet Plan
- How To Build Visual Muscle Definition That Gets Attention With The Wolverine Workout
- The Secret To Creating Your Own Super Mutant Transformation (With Simple Diet & Training Techniques)
Table of Contents
Turning Hugh Jackman into the Wolverine
Jackman says that Wolverine didn’t have the look he wanted in the first three X-men movies. But, in the most recent ones like Days of Future Past and Apocalypse, he finally got the look he had envisioned – animalistic and savage, with his veins popping out.
I wanted audiences to say, ‘OK, this guy could quite easily rip someone’s head off.’ That was always the goal,
he explained.
To get the body he wanted for the role, the 50-year-old actor took a painstakingly measured approach to his diet and workout routine to get maximum results. Every rep, set, or piece of chicken had a purpose. And, when Jackman finally became the Wolverine he had dreamed about, it was a triumph in sports science.
He had about six months to reach his goals, so Jackman spent hours in the gym tackling an intense wolverine workout, kept his eating clean, and increased his protein and calorie intake to professional athlete levels.
Jackman did all of this with the help of London-based trainer David Kingsbury, who based Jackman’s regular workout sessions around progressive overloading.
Diet Plan of the Wolverine
Hugh says that his diet took precedent when becoming Wolverine because that is what would ultimately determine how he looked. He broke his results down to being 70% from diet and 30% from his training.
He was on a very strict carb cycling, calorie cycling, and intermittent fasting regiment that included about 4,000 to 4,500 calories a day. However, he did have lean days where he would drop down to about 3,500 calories.
He ate six meals each day, all consisting of protein, and, his intermittent fasting was on a 16/8 schedule. This meant that Jackman would fast for 16 hours and then have an 8-hour eating window. He would always start his eating window immediately after his morning workout session.
To determine his calorie consumption for the day, Jackman looked at the day’s training. On heavy weight days, he had a high carb day. By contrast, on light days and rest days, he went low carb or had a green, leafy veggie day.
Also, when he had a heavy weight/high carb day, he would always follow it up with a heavy weight/high carb half-day, until 4 p.m.
| Day | Set | Carbs | Timing | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | A1 | High | All Day | 4.500 calories |
| Tuesday | A2 | High | Half-Day | |
| Wednesday | B1 | Medium | Only first meal | |
| Thursday | A1 | High | All Day | 4.500 calories |
| Friday | A1 | High | All Day | 4.500 calories |
| Saturday | B2 | High | Half-Day | |
| Sunday | B2 | Low | Rest | green veggies only carbs |
Jackman’s carb cycling approach was designed to increase his fat burning and muscle gains, give his body adequate energy, and to stimulate an insulin response to get nutrients to his muscles.
So, for the Wolverine Diet (6 meals a day):
- Eat high carbs (sweet potatoes, brown rice, oatmeal) along with protein on heavy weight days.
- Cycle carbs the next day by eating sweet potatoes, brown rice, oatmeal, but only until 4pm.
- Focus more on healthy fats (almonds, seeds, avocados) on days where you’re doing low-intensity cardio (Wednesday and Sunday, if you follow The Wolverine Workout).
- Protein six times a day (chicken, fish, steak).
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The Wolverine Workout
Just as intense as his diet, Jackman’s wolverine workout routine lasted about three hours each day, including 45 minutes of low-intensity cardio and weight training first thing in the morning. In the afternoons, he had a high-intensity cardio session.
At least he wasn’t doing weird stuff like EMS or wearing an altitude mask like in Tom Holland’s Spiderman workout.
I’m not a huge fan of working out more than an hour each day (you shouldn’t be either). That’s why there’s a more efficient way to build muscle with a superhero workout plan like this instead.
During his morning weight training, he would start with one of four core exercises:
- Bench press
- Squats
- Weighted pull-ups
- Deadlifts
On those core four, he went for strength during the first three weeks by doing heavy weight and low reps. Each week, he would increase the weight (progressive overload), but stick to around 3 to 6 reps.
This rep range differs from Brad Pitt’s training for Fight Club since almost every exercise lasted for at least 15 reps.
By week four, he would drop the weight and increase the reps. This is considered a deload week and it’s commonly used in different forms of workout periodization like in Hugh Jackman’s case.
For example, this is what his weight percentages looks like from week to week:
Week 1
- Set 1: 5 reps @ 60% of 1RM
- Set 2: 5 reps @ 65% of 1RM
- Set 3: 5 reps @ 75% of 1RM
- Set 4: 5 reps @ 75% of 1RM
Week 2
- Set 1: 4 reps @ 65% of 1RM
- Set 2: 4 reps @ 75% of 1RM
- Set 3: 4 reps @ 85% of 1RM
- Set 4: 4 reps @ 85% of 1RM
Week 3
- Set 1: 3 reps, @ 70% of 1RM
- Set 2: 3 reps, @ 80% of 1RM
- Set 3: 3 reps, @ 90% of 1RM
- Set 4: 3 reps, @ 90% of 1RM
Week 4
- Set 1: 10 reps, @ 40% of 1RM
- Set 2: 10 reps, @ 50% of 1RM
- Set 3: 10 reps, @ 60% of 1RM
- Set 4: 10 reps, @ 90% of 1RM
In case you didn’t know, 1RM means one rep max and all of Jackman’s weight percentages were calculated against this value. Of course, you’ll need to use a calculator or have a general idea of your own one rep max to follow this kind of periodization.
Be aware that these workouts are really overkill for developing a body like Hugh. In fact, this warrior shredding program we found does a great job of leaning you WAY down while only spending an hour each time you’re in the gym.
Everything changed week to week with Jackman’s workouts, but here’s the breakdown of his very first week which includes 5 distinct workouts.
Day 1 – Chest and Shoulders
- Bench Press: 4×5 (Rest 150 seconds)
- DB Shoulder Press: 4×10 (Rest 60 seconds)
- Overhead Press Behind Neck: 4×10 (Rest 60 seconds)
- Cuban Press: 3×10 (Rest 30 seconds)
- Superset A – Dips: 3×10
- Superset A – Triceps Pushdown: 3×12
- Superset B – Side Lateral Raise: 4×8
- Superset B – Front DB Raise: 4×8
- Superset B – Reverse Flyes: 4×8
- Superset B – Overhead Press: 4×8
In superset A, rest 15 seconds between each exercise and a full minute between each round (3 rounds total). Superset B was more of a circuit and is completed for 4 toal rounds with one minute rest between each round.
Day 2 – Legs and Abs
- Squats: 4×5 (Rest 160 seconds)
- Front Squats: 4×10 (Rest 60 seconds)
- Leg Press: 4×10 (Rest 60 seconds)
- Superset – Seated Calf Raise: 4×12
- Superset – Hanging Leg Raise: 4×12
- Ab Roller: 4×10
The superset was completed for 4 rounds with 60 seconds rest between each round.
Day 3 – Back and Biceps
- Weighted Pull-Ups: 4×5 (Rest 150 seconds)
- One Arm DB Row: 4×12 (Rest 60 seconds)
- Inverted Row: 4×10 (Rest 60 seconds)
- Inclined DB Press: 4×10 (Rest 60 seconds)
- Superset – Zottman Curl: 4×8
- Superset – Cross Body Hammer Curl: 4×8
- Superset – Reverse Barbell Curl: 4×8
The superset was completed for 4 rounds with 60 seconds rest between each round.
Day 4 – Chest, Shoulders and Triceps
- Inclined DB Press: 4×6 (No rest – dropsets)
- Multiple Incline DB Press: 4×6 (Rest 60 seconds)
- Cable Iron Cross: 4×10 (Rest 60 seconds)
- Bench Press w/ Narrow Grip: 4×10 (Rest 60 seconds)
- Superset – Triceps Pushdown: 4×8
- Superset – Dips: 4×8
- Superset – Push-Ups: 4×8
The superset was completed for 4 rounds with 60 seconds rest between each round.
Day 5 – Legs and Abs
- Deadlift: 4×5 (Rest 150 seconds)
- Romanian Deadlift: 4×10 (Rest 60 seconds)
- Zercher Squats: 4×12 (Rest 60 seconds)
- Sit-Up: 4×10 (Rest 60 seconds)
- Landmine 180s: 4×20 (Rest 60 seconds)
How You Can Get Ripped Like Wolverine
Let’s be honest, to get ripped like Wolverine, you basically have to become a crazy person. If you want to take on the same approach as this wolverine workout, that means a constant cycle of calorie and carb intake, plus custom workouts based on your diet.
If looking like Wolverine is your goal, you have to remember three important things:
1. Count Your Calories
Like Jackman already mentioned earlier, his incredible physique was due to a 70% focus on eating a good diet. Additionally, you can eat the cleanest diet on earth, but if you’re not hitting your daily energy requirements (ie., calories) then you’re not going to reach your goals. You’re either going to lose your hard-earned muscle, or gain unwanted body fat.
For this reason, make sure you dial in your daily calorie targets and do your best to stick with it every single day.
2. Stick to Full Body Workouts
There’s no skipping leg day and you can’t just train your arms. If you want to have a well-rounded and shredded body like the Wolverine or Bruce Lee, then you have to have well-rounded wolverine workout schedule too.
This means including plenty of compound lifts like squats, deadlifts, bench press, overhead press, and weighted pull-ups. Focusing on these exercises will ensure that you build muscle in all the major muscle groups so you don’t create any visual muscle imbalances.
3. Be Patient
Hugh said it perfectly when he admitted that his physique isn’t about looking for shortcuts – it’s about making training and nutrition a top priority.
Above all, know why you’re doing it. If you train too hard and too often, you’ll burn out. You need to get to the point where you want to train, where you’re rested enough to really smash it in the gym – which is hard when you’re actually in the filming process. You have to work smartly.
No matter if you are an actor playing a superhero, or a regular guy working a regular job, it’s tough to hit the gym for hours every day and stay insanely focused on your calories and macros.
And here’s something else you’ll notice…
There’s actually a very repeatable system to making a dramatic superhero transformation (and it’s simpler than you think).
- It doesn’t require spending multiple hours per day at the gym.
- It doesn’t require you to eat bland, tasteless foods either.
- And you don’t have to continually stuff your face with 6-evenly space meals either.
If you’d like to learn more, I reveal everything about this course in my Kinobody Greek God Program Review.
Build a Superhero Body Without Training Like One
Getting in shape isn't easy. But this program gives you a real-life approach to building a leaner, more muscular body without obsessing over fitness 24/7.
